Ireland is obviously a magical country and it leaves a visible mark among those have visited it. It is a land of legends and myths, with fairy thorn trees and the iconic, leprechauns. There are many fat-fetched tales that originated from Ireland and the place is so mystical that many travellers could be left wondering if some of them are true. Dublin is a great mixture of many things with elegant Georgian buildings and plenty of modern attractions. It has a lively social life and a convivial atmosphere. Belfast is located in Northern Ireland and part of the United Kingdom. It is a city with an industrial heritage, which means that Belfast may not match the traditional elegance of Dublin. However, since the relative peace in last decades, it has become a thriving place with increasing social and cultural life. Cork is another big city in the Ireland and located in the Republic of Ireland. It is a place for people who want to get a more relaxing environment than Dublin and Belfast, with its tranquil River Lee.
Ireland is known for its historical sites, some of them originated from the pre-historic era. The Newgrange in the County Louth is one of the more important pre-historic sites in Ireland. Some people often compare it with the Stonehenge and Pyramids. Hill of Tara is another place where the ancient High Kings of Ireland once resided. The Navan Fort in Armagh is a smaller version of Newgranger and Dun Aengus offers a semicircular stone structure. Ireland is also known for plenty of early historical era structures, such as Celtic round towers. Glendough is a picturesque site with its round tower and early stone church. The Rock of Cashel is a dramatic site with a rock that rises abruptly out of the surrounding fertile and lush plain. There are also plenty of wonderful fine country houses and some castles in the northern areas that were parts of the United Kingdom. The combination of old structure and mountainous, rugged terrain is certainly attractive for many travellers with the more relaxed and slower pace.
The western part of Ireland is more sparsely populated and it offers distinct local characteristics. The Southwest area is the high plain of Ireland, with its notable Ring of Kerry and Lakes of Killarney. The Dingle Bay is known for Fungi Dolphin, a solitary, wild bottlenose dolphin that is friendly enough to swim around people. The West Cork is known for its spectacular scenery and travellers are recommended to visit Ilnacullen or the Garanish island. The county Clare is known for its Karst landscape, which offers travellers with an interesting, surrealist moonscape effect. It has an eroded, weathered surface with plenty of astonishing flora collections. Connemara is also known for its wonderful, natural beauty. Connemara is the largest town in the area, where Brown and Alcock landed after their famous transatlantic flight. Marconi’s radio station is also set up in the area, where long distance wireless communication was first established.